Villagers flee shock

HONIARA. A huge aftershock has rocked the Solomon Islands, sending villagers fleeing to higher ground two days after an 8.0-magnitude quake and tsunami killed 13 people.

The 7.1-magnitude tremor on Friday was the latest in a series of aftershocks that have been hampering relief efforts on Ndende island in the eastern Solomons, where Wednesday's tsunami inundated some 20 villages and left thousands homeless.

The latest quake, at a shallow depth of nine kilometres, and just 23 kilometres from the main town, Lata, rocked buildings for 30 to 40 seconds and villagers fled for higher ground.

The aftershocks have prevented villagers from returning home and hindered their efforts to salvage supplies from damaged houses and bring them to makeshift camps in the rugged interior.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/villagers-flee-shock-20130209-2e58l.html